When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 4 Review Dancing Teens Shows Growing Up Is Hard to Do

Critic’s Rating: 4.3 / 5.0

4.3

Growing up is challenging, especially for teenage girls. This aspect has not changed in 100 years, and it was likely more difficult back then.

When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 4 was one of the best installments. It highlighted Allie’s coming-of-age and why it was so important to her.

I’ve commented previously that this season has returned us to the best part of the series, focusing on integrating the children into core storylines and keeping romances at the forefront.

“Dancing Teens” did that beautifully because viewers have watched Allie grow up since When Calls the Heart Season 6, and they rooted for her 17^th birthday party to be a success.

It also demonstrated that fathers have difficulty letting their daughters mature no matter what period.

Allie’s Coming-of-Age Storyline Was the Best Storyline of When Calls the Heart Season 12

Allie’s coming-of-age storyline was the best arc of When Calls the Heart Season 12. Her birthday dance party was so much more than just having fun.

While that was part of it, becoming grown-up was a special part of a teenage girl’s life. Allie didn’t have a mom, so she leaned on Elizabeth to teach her how to dance and make this party memorable.

It was the perfect time for the ladies to bond as Elizabeth helped Allie fix her hair and shared stories about her first dance party.

Allie needed to hear some of these stories to feel confident talking to the boys at the dance and know she could succeed in her next life stage.

Fathers Never Want Their Daughters to Grow Up

Fathers and daughters often share a special bond, but it’s usually difficult for them to acknowledge their daughter is growing up.

In this episode, I saw so much of another favorite of mine, Little House on the Prairie.

Allie has longed to be considered more grown and taken seriously, but that’s difficult when the series dresses her in pigtails, and her father still sees her as a little girl.

This is similar to what Laura Ingalls struggled with.

Nathan literally told Elizabeth he would’ve loved to stop time, but he acknowledged Allie was happy and adventurous, something he admired.

Joseph also struggled because Angela knew she was different from other young people.

I’m excited they gave her more of a voice about why she wants to attend a college for the blind.

Angela loves her friends in Hope Valley, but she felt so alienated as she prepared for Allie’s birthday party, and no one understood, not even her beloved father.

Seeing these teenagers have more of a voice as they mature has been so refreshing.

Molly’s Resistance Made No Sense Initially

Initially, we didn’t understand Molly’s resistance to Allie’s birthday dance. She always seemed fond of Allie, and it sounded over the top to call the dance scandalous and demand that Lee cancel it.

The town seemed divided, but this dance was pivotal to Allie’s coming-of-age.

Allie: This dance is about having fun, making friends, and trying something new.

Molly: Which will end badly.

Elizabeth: If it ends badly, the children will have learned a valuable lesson and can avoid it in the future.

Nathan: I agree. It’s Allie’s seventeenth birthday, and I trust she’s responsible enough to handle this.

It meant so much that her dad and Elizabeth believed in her that Allie was more willing to compromise by letting some adults chaperone, too.

When Molly saw how beautiful Allie looked but that she was alone with her friends, she confided to Minnie that years ago, her crush stood her up at a dance party. She didn’t want Allie to experience that heartbreak.

Molly shouldn’t have worried. Within minutes, Oliver had the crowd dancing, and Nathan and Elizabeth beamed as they watched two suitors bring Allie presents.

As for Molly, Jed Campbell was sweet on her. Neither character usually gets this much screen time, but he was adorable as he stumbled through, telling her that her old crush was idiotic for standing her up.

Hopefully, we get to see this romance blossom.

More Recurring Characters Popped Up This Season

Mystery arcs are the ideal storyline to pull in most of the cast.

Having Rosemary and Bill interview customers allowed them to discern that the double-sided eagle coin was worth precisely a dollar, and only three dollar items were bought at the Mercantile.

The problem was that people like Molly became suspicious when Rosemary asked too many questions, something Nathan tried to avoid.

While Bill thought the Garrison Gang was responsible, it was challenging to tie one of their friends to that. They needed more information on who spent it and how they got the coin.

Was anyone else shocked that Jed Campbell was the culprit? He’s popped up a lot more lately. He’s suddenly Molly’s new romantic interest, too, so I’d hate it if he’s hiding something.

Hopefully, he had that coin by chance, or it links back to my theory of Earl Wyatt. I still don’t trust hi

Isolating Lucas Remains the Most Irritating Storyline

When Calls the Heart improved greatly in Season 12 by including recurring characters and integrating the children, but the series still isolates Lucas Bouchard.

Lucas only wanted to make a difference in Hope Valley and have close friends, yet the series isolated him in Capital City in a political storyline.

We thought it had remedied that mistake by having him and Lee work together on the National Parks project, but then they argued over Edwin’s involvement.

Despite Bill’s best efforts, both men were stubborn and refused to even talk to each other. Since Lee still had so much pull in Hope Valley, it felt like Lucas was the enemy.

Therefore, it made sense that he was eager to join Edie for the day. Lucas has always been fair, so hopefully, he finds a way to share the land to honor Edie’s family and his promises.

Wasn’t Lucas adorable as he herded the cow back with them? For a city man, he’s so well-versed in small-town life.

Now that Edie acknowledged she was not engaged, I saw a spark between her and Lucas. While I adored Lucas and Elizabeth, it’s time for him to move on and find new happiness.

Over to you, Hearties. What was your favorite part of “Dancing Teens”? Who are you rooting for in the love triangle — Oliver or Wyatt?

What do you think of Lucas and Edie?

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share them with us below.

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